Controller for sliding doors.



PATENTED MAR. 3'7, 1906.

A. M. EASTON. CONTROLLER FOB. SLIDING DOORS.

APPLIUATIQH FILED JULY 21.1fl02.

MMm/ wwwhakiw PATENT OFFICE.

ANSEL MILLS EASTON, OF MILLBRAE, CALIFORNIA.

CONTROLLER FOR SLIDING DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Q Patented March 2'7, 1906,

Application filed July 21,1902. Serial No 116,483.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANsEL MILLS EASTGN a citizen of the United States of America an a resident of Millbrae, in the county of San Mateo and State of California, have invented a new and useful Controller for Sliding Doors,

. ing the same.

Wherever I use the word brooder or brooders in this specification I refer, un less otherwise specifically stated, to a structure or structures devised for the rearing of young domestic fowls or intended to supplernent artificial incubators for the proper care, protection, and safe-keeping of their out at.

I The accompanying drawings, in whic 1 like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several figures, are integral herewith as a medium of illustration.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one form of my said invention applied to a orooder. Fig. 2 is a rear or inside elevation of a vertieally-sliding door and its opening, showin the door in its lowered or closed position, an of the device for raising and lowering the door, part of the adjacent wall being shown broken away on both sides of the opening. Fig. 3 is a similar view illustrating the door in its raised or open position; and Fi dis avertical cross-section through the wall, do or, and opening, taken on the line m a: of Fig. 3 looking to the left, this figure giving an edgewise view of the opening and closing mechanism of the door and of its disposition when the door is raised or open.

I provide doors to open and close the entrances or exits leading from the retreatto the runw s, one door to each runway. These run -doors, which are herein marked G I prefer to operate severally from without t e rooder by means of lines or flexible connections, as H H, conveyed one from each door to and without any or each convenient side of the retreat A or yard B, or both. I have shown lines H running to one. side of the yard-inclosure B and other lines H to an opposite side of the retreat A one line if" and one line H to each door G. lDach lineH handle by which the res ective line H or H is drawn forward or slac ened and the corresponding door opened or closed. By referring to Figs. 2, 3, and 4 it will be observed that the actuatin lines H H in any one door are secured to t s top of the door by a staple, loop, or eye K. They then pass upward over a ulleyL and thence each to its estination. T ere may be as many such lines and corresponding pulleys as there are sides of the breeder from which it may be convenient to operate the door or doors, or there may be a single line to and above a swivcled Julley when the door is down or closed, and tem a point shove this pulley it may branch ch in various directions, as desired. I have, how ever, shown but a single puIIeyL and the two lines H H running up a ainst opposite sides of the said ulley L an passing each other at the top thereof, one line H leading to the left toward the runway and the other line H toward the opposite side of the retreat. This pulley device may be the ordinary double sheave-block with a se arate sheave for each line H H; but I have earned it preferable to show the simpler and cheaper pulley. Each door of course slides within grooves, as M, formed by suitable stops at the sides or jambs .of the opening, which is a well-known expedient. (See Fig. 4.) As illustrated in the said Figs. 2, 3, and 4, I rovide each door G with an automatic clutcjng device or doorstopping means for on iii-pose of holding it u when it is raised an is to remain open.

clutch consists of a pendent hook N, integral with, preferably and adapted to he swung by one end of a horizontal rock-shaft P, which rock shaft has an upwardly and with a re erred in or operating-arm R. All these parts N, Q, and R are conveniently made of a single wire or rod, bent to the required form and hun up or jonrnalcd by its rock-shaft portion P in a sleeve-like or tubu lar hearing S, secured Ibjy staples T to a ambof thedoorway, as at on the inside. The crdiil-rin R is somewhat longer than the rocks as? and so weighs on the crank Q, owing to the fact that the orank-p1n is located to one side ofthe vertical axis or dead-center r the shaft P and opposite or apart from the door and through the crank so acts upon the said rockshaft that the hook hi will normally contact and li htly press its singularly-extending point 1 agamst the closed or pan rearward inclined crank Q at its other end runway to the hall and retreat.

tially raised door, and when the door has been sufliciently elevated to pass this point N of the hook the latter is automatically thrust beneath the lower edge of the door by gravitation. The hook N is thereby made to prevent the door from further descending when released by its actuating line H or H and holds it sufficiently open, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, to allow the chicks or other fowls or animals sequestered in the brooder to leave their retreat A or any compartment thereof and ass out from the connected hallway or insi e run F into the outside runway reserved for them in the yard B, or, vice versa, to pass in and return from this In order to release the hook N from its hold upon the lower edge of the door when it is required to lower or close the door, I employ an up wardly curved or inclined arm V, suitab y secured at one end to the door, its upper end being flared outwardly from ,the door and adapted to impinge against the outer side of the aforementioned crank-pin B. As shown, I so secure the arm V to the inner face of the door that when the door is raised above its said hook-held position the said arm V forces the crank-pin Q toward the door, and consequently rocks the shaft P in such a way as to retract the hook N, thus freeing the door therefrom and allowing it to descend. Now it is manifest that if the actuating-line H or H (as the case may be) is slaekencd slowly and the door allowed to descend gradually the hook N will gravitate outward into its functional or stopping position at the bottom of the door and prevent further descent of the latter; but by suddenly relaxing the actuating-line the door descends rapidly, so as to pass the hook N before gravitation has overcome the inertia of said hook. Havim passed below the point N of the hook N, the door may be allowed to continue its descent to its closed position by still further slacking the actuating-line. It is then understood that the hook N tends to gravitate under the door G when the latter is at a certain elevation, that when the former is withdrawn by the arm V and the door is suddenlydro ped to a position to and below the point No the hook the inertia of the hook, temporarily suspending its gravitation, allows the door to pass, and that the point of the hook contacts with the face of the door in its further descent, but does not impede it.

It will be observed that the use of the above-described clutch enables an attendant to open or close any or all of the doors from a suitable distance whether inside or outside the brooder. Thus the invention not only saves time and labor, but, what is particularly desirable, it avoids the necessity of go ing among the fowls and taking the risk of trampling upon or frightening them sim 1y to reach the doors either through the inside or the outside runs. These doors, it may be noted, are usually about one foot high and ten inches wide; but sizes vary. My improved latch is applicable to any size.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A controlling mechanism, applicable to a door of the kind described, consisting of door-raising means operable from a conveniently-remote point, an automatic clutch located by the door and operating to hold it at a suitable elevation, and releasing means carried by the door and acting to remove the clutch far enough therefrom to allow the door if raised above a certain level to pass it upon being suddenly dropped; substantially as set forth.

2. An automatic clutch, applicable to a vertically-sliding door of the kind described, consisting of a pendent hook adapted to swing into engagement with the bottom of the door as it is being raised, a rock-shaft suitably jonrnaled on the doorway, from which said hook is suspended, an upwardly and rearwardly inclined crank secured to said rock-shaft, and a reflexed in on said crank, combined with an upward and rearwardly bent arm secured to the door and capable of moving said pin and crank toward the door to swing back the pendent hook, and one or more lines secured to the door and operable at a distance whereby the door can be raised and allowed to descend more or less rapidly and accordingly be missed or caught by said clutch, as required; substantially as set forth.

5. In a controlling mechanism for a vertically-movable door of the kind described, a gravity-actuated latch having one part adapted to engage with the door and means secured to the door in position out of alinement with the door-engaging part of the latch to engage with another part of the latch to permit or prevent the engagement of the first men tioned )art.

4. The combination, in a controlling mech anism for a vertiCally-movable door of the kind described, of a rock-shaft located on the framework beside the door carrying an inwardly-directed pendent hook, and provided with an oppositely-extending releasing portion, an arm inclined away from and secured to the door in position for engaging with the said releasing portion when the door is raised and automatically controllin the rengagement of the hook when the cor is lowered, and means for controlling the rate of descent of the door.

5. The combination with a perforated wall, of a pulley at each perforation in the wall, a vertically-movable door below each pulley, an automatic gravity-controlled lock for each door and two 0 positely-extending cords secured to each oor and passed over its re- 10 cause the hook to normally engage the door,

s eetive Euliey, one of the cords Passing and tripping means carried by the door for t rough t e perforation to the opposite side en aging the latch to release the door.

of the well. %n testimony whereof I have signed my 6. The combination with a sliding door name to this specification in the presence of aild niiearlils for opening and closing the doloi'i, I two subscribing witnesses.

o e ate com risin a suite y-journa e r shaft, & hook eai ried y the shaft and resting ANSEL MILLS EAS against the door when closed, and means, 0fi- I Vfitnosses:

set from the journaied portion of the shaft to EDWIN T. COOPER,

i G120. C. SARGENT. 

